In search of Hawke's Bay hidden gems

Hawke's Bay has many well-known features, but it also has some hidden gems that even locals don't know much about.

To launch our new compact Hawke's Bay Today, we are searching for those tiny bits of magic. They could be people who are quietly doing wonderful things, businesses or tourism ventures that are booming or even parts of our cities and province that are relatively undiscovered.

We have sent our reporters out searching for those positive stories you keep asking us to write about and we believe we have found some good ones.

Hawke's Bay Today wants to celebrate the successful things that are happening in our region and that is what this series is about.

Many of them are small tourist ventures that have just taken off. Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas has told us of one "nice little nugget".

She says one of the "cooler", lesser-known attractions in the region is the Waimarama Maori guided tours up Te Mata Peak.

"It obviously tells the story of Te Mata and all of Hawke's Bay from the top."

The Maori cultural experience at the Hakikino Conservation Reserve - also run by Waimarama Maori - had been "hugely popular" and the Te Mata Peak tour was a nice extension to that, Ms Dundas said.

Another little gem we have unearthed is nestled next to the cycle track between Havelock North and Clive. Several hundred metres south of Black Bridge is a coffee caravan at the back of a vineyard. This is where Cat Kynoch is hard at work most weekends.

Her caravan has become a pleasant interlude for cyclists enjoying the trail.

Milkshakes, flat whites and muffins are Cat's line of business and her Bivvy Vineyard Cafe has started attracting attention. It is particularly popular with foreign tourists cycling around the region.

These are just two examples of hidden gems in Hawke's Bay and you can read more about them on page 39. Each day this week, we will run a page of hidden gems as we find them. We know there are more out there, but we also need your help. Email us at news@hbtoday.co.nz and let us know of any you have discovered.